The Endeavour is doing what most media outlets are doing–predicting the Oscar winners on Sunday, Feb. 27.
Our judges are staffers and film buffs, Jessica DeCoste, Jody Cmoc and Craig Orr.
“It’s been a hell of a year,” says DeCoste.
“There were lots of great movies and it’s hard to chose just one winner in a category.
“In the Best Picture, there were moments in different films that I really liked,” she adds.
Cmoc said there were a lot of films she wanted to see this year after a slow previous year.
“There were a lot of excellent films,” she said.
For Orr, it was a good season because last season’s Avatar cannot be nominated.
“For the first hour, it (Avatar) was good but then it got into overkill,” he said.
“I hate it now. It’s no Inception,” he adds.
“Inception was good,” says Cmoc. “Of course, my sister had to explain it to me because I was lost at the start.”
She says she knows a lot of people who saw Inception and were angry because it was so tough to follow.
“But if you got it, it was great,” chimes in Orr.
Then there was the year’s focus on 3-D productions.
“3-D is stupid,” says DeCoste. “Don’t even get me started. It just seems absolutely pointless. You still get the same information from the movie than if you didn’t have it in 3-D. It’s an overrated special effect. I would not pay $25 to see a 3-D movie.”
Orr agrees.
“It’s overused, overplayed. It was good for Avatar but it failed for every other movie.”
Cmoc disagrees with her colleagues.
“I absolutely love it,” she says. “I just love it because it seems so real coming out of the screen. It’s like you’re part of the movie.”
DeCoste says she’s “kind of upset” that the latest Harry Potter film was barely nominated at all – only once for best Art Direction.
“The ones that got nominated deserved to be nominated,” Orr adds.
Cmoc says it’s fairly clear what she likes and doesn’t like.
Orr says the two co-hosts for Oscar night, Anne Hathaway and James Franco, will do “all right” but provide nothing special.
“They’re kind of two different personalities,” says DeCoste. “It’ll be interesting to see how they work together.”
“Jody needed a reminder who James Franco is,” says DeCoste.
“He’s just kind of ‘there’ in movies,” Cmoc counters. “You don’t notice him a lot.”
Orr favours the old days when Conan O’Brien was host.
“Conan is hilarious in everything he does,” Orr says.
Without further ado, these are the Oscar winners as predicted by The Endeavour’s three soothsayers of the silver screen:
BEST PICTURE:
Jessica: Inception.
There was absolutely nothing to complain about in this film. It was an original story idea, with a great cast and amazing effects. The cast was nothing less than extraordinary. The movie will leave viewers with many thoughts and questions which why it’s so good!
Jody: Inception.
With changing scenes every second in the movie, Inception takes the cake for best picture. While watching the movie, I was sitting on the edge of my seat hoping I didn’t blink because I would be sure to miss something.
Craig: Inception.
This is easily the best movie I have ever seen. Every performance in this movie is perfect to go along with a beautifully written script. I tried to find a flaw in this movie and can’t. It’s just that good.
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
Jessica: James Franco–127 Hours.
Franco has come a long way from his earlier films and has proven he can play any role especially in this dramatic movie. In this list of nominees, Franco has the lead on talent and skill.
Jody: Colin Firth–The King’s Speech.
Firth is by far the best leading actor in the movie The King’s Speech. He has played many different acting roles throughout his lifetime and I think in The King’s Speech he displays some of his best acting.
Craig: James Franco–127 Hours.
From the beginning of the movie, Franco captures the essence of his character. The movie is exceptional, but if not for his performance, there is no way it would have been so good. He absolutely deserves the Oscar.
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
Jessica: Natalie Portman-Black Swan.
I have no doubt that Natalie Portman will take the award for leading actress. Her performance in Black Swan was profound. This part would have been difficult, but she really followed through with a great performance.
Jody: Natalie Portman-Black Swan.
Natalie Portman shows true passion in her role in the movie Black Swan. Having mixed emotions and being able to play them very well, Portman deserves the best actress award.
Craig: Natalie Portman-Black Swan’
She has consistently been one of the best actresses I’ve seen. I have never yet said to myself after watching one of her movies, “Wow, she was awful.” I hope she has a rather large mantel in her house because this won’t be the only Oscar she wins over the course of her career.
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Jessica: Geoffrey Rush–The King’s Speech
I was unfamiliar with most of the actors nominated in this category and I’ve never seen the King’s Speech. But with the number of nominations it has I assume they must have had some good actors.
Jody: Jeremy Renner–The Town.
Jeremy Renner is my pick for this category from the film The Town. Working alongside Ben Affleck, Renner plays his role well with a serious attitude and a mindset of getting things done.
Craig: Christian Bale–The Fighter.
I’m going with my heart with this pick. The Fighter is chalk-full of amazing performances from all of its actors and actresses. However, Bale’s performance is truly worth seeing. The movie was good, but it was his performance in it that made it really good.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Jessica: Helena Bonham Carter–The King’s Speech.
Like I said, I haven’t seen the King’s Speech but I have seen many other movies with Carter and her acting skills are astounding. She will take the award this category for sure.
Jody: Helena Bonham Carter–The King’s Speech.
Carter does an outstanding job in the movie The King’s Speech. Acting as Queen Elizabeth, she plays the role well. With patience, Queen Elizabeth tries to help her husband overcome his speech impediment. Being in past movies with a serious role, Helena Bonham Carter continues to show off great skills as an actress.
Craig: Melissa Leo–The Fighter.
If an actress in a movie is able to make me physically uncomfortable and angry, then I know she’s done her job.